Harry knew he died. This was further proven when he saw his transparent body. Despite that fact he actually felt happy he got up from the floor where he lay and looked around uncaring of his naked state. He was expecting to at least see his parents. However to his chagrin he saw an old man dressed in black approach him. He was suddenly dressed in a cloak covering his nakedness as the old man said "You have to go back child. It is not yet your time. You are needed still. The light side cannot win this war without you."

Harry felt a chill and fear grip him and a feeling in his stomach that he knew so well. Disappointment. Even in death he was still denied what he wanted. His death in the prison of Azkaban after a severe beating by the guards had been welcomed especially after being falsely accused of murder and locked up with the dementors after a false trial.

Harry shook his head and said "No, I won't go back. I don't care that they need me not after what they did to me. Let them lose. If you force me to go back I will not kill Voldemort I will help him. The so called light side has shown that they are even more cruel than the so called dark side. What did I do to deserve a life of torment and pain such as the one I lived at their hands. Did I kill the pope in a former life? Or maybe I was Hitler or some dark lord in the past?"

The old man looked at Harry with compassion and replied "Child, you have done nothing to deserve what has been happening but this is not up to me. I am merely the messenger."

To which Harry replied "Well them tell whoever gave you that message that they can do their own dirty work. I'm dead, I'm done I'm not going back without a fight."

Harry's head snapped up at the sound of a voice next to the old man as someone he didn't recognise appeared there "You cannot force him to go back Derek. It has to be of his own free will. He has already paid for his passage in his own blood, innocent blood."

The old man glared at the newcomer and replied "This is not a joke Ignatius. You know the consequences if he does not return."

Ignatius replied anger in his own voice "He has done enough. How much more can you expect, how many times has he died with you sending him back? He may not have had a choice before but he has one now. It is his to make."

Both men looked at Harry and Harry gulped at the power now coming off the old man. It . seemed he had been holding it back and had only just released it. He had enough brevity to ask "Who are you?"

The one referred to as Derek replied "I am Known as Death child."

Harry could feel his fear escalating but he didn't give in to it. He had been in fear so much in his life he had learned to somehow function despite it. "Okay, can I go to my parents now?"

Derek actually looked at Harry in surprise at his question. He had let out a bit of his power hoping to intimidate the boy but he didn't even flinch. For the first time he began to appreciate just what the child must have gone through. Normally that action made weaker men shit themselves. Harry didn't even looked fazed. He looked into the boy's mind and silently swore. He had truly underestimated the boy's suffering. It was almost in the level he saw in hell itself. How had the child survived that and stayed sane?

He himself had only met him when he died assuming the boy was a magnet for trouble always getting himself killed. None of the times that he died were his own fault. Four times at the hands of his obese uncle, twice when his obese cousin pushed him down the stairs and drowned him in the school swimming pool. Then at school the incidents that happened every year each time he died and finally from a beating by jail guards after he was locked up for something he didn't do.

He looked at Ignatius and said "I see, well that changes things a bit."

The old man disappeared for a few minutes while Ignatius turned his attention to Harry and said "Harry Potter, my last descendant. I was hoping my family would flourish but alas it seems the line has died."

Harry looked at the man and said "We are related?"

Ignatius nodded with a smile. Did you not get an invisibility cloak from your father?"

Harry nodded "Yes, but he loaned it to the headmaster who then gave it to me in first year."

Ignatius frowned at that but said instead "Well that cloak belonged to Derek over there. When he gave it to me as a gift it served me well until I could pass it on to my own son starting a tradition from father to son over the years. I hoped it would keep my family safe like it did for me."

Derek arrived then and said to Harry "I have a proposition for you." He raised an arm before Harry could say anything else "I will send you back but to a time where you can take control of your life before anyone else does. You will be able to put safeguards in place to prevent them from taking advantage of you and to keep us from the old man's control you will go to another school instead of Hogwarts and you will have these."

Derek waved his hand and three objects materialised on Harry, his invisibility cloak, a wand he recognised as it looked like the headmaster's and a ring with two stones on it. Harry turned to Derek with a questioning look and Derek replied "If I'm going to send you back I will have you whatever support I can. Seeing as I cannot interfere in the world if the living I can give you an advantage. My hallows, I will allow you to master them taking away the advantage Tom Riddle and Dumbledore have on you so they cannot take over your life again. They will also allow you to claim Ignatius' vault."

Ignatius asked "How did you get the wand and the stone? I thought as long as the mortals had them they were out of reach?"

Derek chuckled "Iggy the only real hallow I gave away was the cloak. Do you think me stupid enough to randomly gift a part of my power to mortals?"

In light of that statement Harry asked "Then why give it to me?"

Derek replied "Has it not occurred to you to wonder why I keep sending you back after you randomly die every time ?"

Harry hadn't actually but now that it was mentioned he wanted to know. "The hallows always belonged to you. I chose you from Ignatius' line when I gave him the cloak. There will come a time when I will need the protection offered by having you master the hallows so that no one else can take advantage of the binding rituals that are beginning to surface. Can you imagine what would happen if someone like Tom Riddle found a way to bind Death to himself? I would have no choice but to give him the power he wants, he would be able to bring demons from hell."

Harry swallowed at the thought as he said "So you planned this right from the beginning? My whole life do I a choice in the matter?"

Derek nodded "You do Harry. It is not binding yet. That can only happen if you chose it. If you decide against it then they will not be bound to you and they will simply return to me. However for now they will aid you if you choose to him back."

Harry was sceptical so he asked "Can you send me without having to be Harry Potter? To go back as someone else do I won't have to deal with all that cones with that name. An identity where I can work in the shadows no fame, no more being loved one minute then torn down the next and most importantly no more Dursleys."

Derek thought for a moment before saying "As long as you send me the rest of Riddle's soul I can."

Harry nodded "That is what I want. Harry Potter will be gone. I won't be anyone's punching bag anymore."

The question had to be asked "What of your friends, your godfather?" Ignatius was looking at Harry as he asked.

Harry got a look of pain and betrayal on his face and replied "They didn't believe I was innocent. They didn't even fight for me. Hermione and Ron even testified against me. I don't think that is something I can easily forgive."

Derek nodded and said "Do you accept the hallows Harry?"

Harry nodded and he watched as the three objects sank into his skin. He didn't feel dead anymore, he was solid. He was about to ask what had just happened when Derek said "I'm sending you back two years before you died in Azkaban. Leaving your old body for the Wizards to find in the cell and declare you officially dead. Do not interfere with events that you know. I'm sending you back earlier so you can stop the Wizards from taking everything from you. Take care Harry and use your new powers and knowledge well."

Harry surroundings changed, the last thing he heard was Ignatius saying "good luck Harry."

He appeared outside Godrics hollow, his eyes misting up when he saw the cottage. It was never repaired and the place was turned into a national monument a fact he was never told or his consent ask for. Anger built within him as he allowed power to pour from him raising wards around the place hiding the property from sight. He set about magically repairing his parents home.

Xxxxxx

Dumbledore swore when the alarms that showed Harry's health drastically decline again. He had been out of the office all day and had only just returned. It seemed they had been going off for a while. He cursed himself when he remembered he had been meaning to fix the gadget he normally kept on him when he was away that told him when something was wrong. He couldn't let Harry die in Azkaban he still needed him to vanquish Voldemort. Panic began to fill him.

xxxxxx

It was the end of the day and Harry had been busy. The house was now liveable. He could deal with the furnishing once he got some furniture. He made a list of the things he wanted to get done during the next couple of years including clearing his name and making sure the Wizards regretted their actions against him.

So far he managed to ensure he was next in line for the Potter inheritance. He would be damned if he let his family vaults get taken over by the greedy politicians. There was a substantial amount in them enough to make them try. He also gathered his memories of the life he lived with the Dursleys and got himself some solicitors to investigate them and find out why no one ever looked into his well being.

He also had them sue anyone who was using the name Potter to make money without permission. As the next in line after his former self it was his right to do so. He was quite happy that he had a new identity now Hadrian Ignatius Peverell. He also realised when he passed a reflective surface that he looked different to how he looked before.

His eyes were no longer green but a blue that almost looked purple. His hair was actually white blond which shocked him. For a moment there his face held horror test he now looked like Malfoy. He comforted himself by telling himself that black hair might make him look too much like his old self and he might actually come to like the soft silky hair that lost its messiness and reached halfway down his back and he gained an aristocratic look and a certain other worldliness beauty about him which he realised came from the power of the hallows.

He was also happy to note he was no longer skin and bone and his scars were gone including the dratted lightning bolt scar. He spent a long time just staring at his forehead feeling happiness and relief that it was no longer there, unable to dictate his life anymore. He had a lot to sort out including ensuring he wrote his OWLs and NEWTs and then claiming the Peverell seat back from the old man who was using it for his own gain. He would ensure he couldn't use it as proxy anymore even if he had to wait until he was of age to use it himself. He would take the Potter seat when his other self was gone.

xxxx

Two years had passed and Harry made his way to Privet drive the day he knew his other self would arrive from Hogwarts. He needed to know what happened to himself that night when he was placed in Azkaban. He watched as the Dursleys and his other self arrived home. He remembered the threats and following beating from the fat lard before he was locked up in his room without his trunk. He also remembered Vernon killing Hedwig in front of him and telling him that the same thing would happen to him if he should even slack off on his chores or pissed Vernon off.

It was a few hours after everyone had gone to bed when Harry saw Vernon come out of the house just as someone familiar approached it. The long blond hair, cane and arrogant swagger was a dead giveaway. Lucius Malfoy was at Privet drive. Harry was confused. Dumbledore assured him that no death eater could pass the wards and yet there he was walking up the drive like he was taking a stroll in the park.

They talked for a bit and then Lucius gave Vernon a bag of galleons. From the greedy look on the fat face it must have been quite a bit. Vernon handed Lucius something from what Harry could see it was Harry's wand. Remembering Derek's warning not to change anything he watched as Lucius went on a killing spree in the neighbourhood with Harry's wand. Mean while Harry watched as Vernon carried his unconscious body from Privet drive and left it in the park and Lucius placed Harry's wand back in his hand before disappearing.

Harry returned to Godrics hollow tears falling down his face. Had Vernon really hated him that much he would do this? Why was he so surprised considering the man had actually beat him to death several times. Was Petunia a part of the plan too? How could anyone hate a child that much. He supposed maybe something was really wrong with him otherwise why would he have so many people hating him.

The next day found Harry going to the sham of trial where he was sentenced to Azkaban then thrown in. What he really wanted to see was the reaction of other people. It's people he thought cared about him looked away when he was dragged away. He looked for a single person to show him any support that they believed in him despite the overwhelming evidence. Lucius had really gone to town in that one. However he found none. He steeled himself against tears. He had cried enough he was not going to waste anymore tears on this.

The first thing he did when he left the ministry was go to Privet drive. He found them packing up and leaving. Harry sneered at the three Dursleys before making himself invisible and going inside the house. He found his trunk in the backyard. It looked like Vernon tried to burn it but the anti flame wards kept him from doing it. He couldn't open it either the magic wouldn't let him. Harry opened the trunk and took out his album and marauders map, he already had his cloak. There wasn't much else he wanted his Gringotts key would no longer work as the vaults were locked down until they could be claimed.

He returned to the house and began to draw runes in hidden places. He was going to make sure the Dursleys paid for everything they did to him. The first thing being that they could never leave this house. They would be trapped just like he was trapped. He would ensure they lived through everything they did to him.

He sat at the top of the stairs when he was done and chuckled when everything they packed reappeared in the house. Petunia came back inside shouting "Vernon! Vernon! Something is going on. All our things have been unpacked and returned inside."

Vernon blustered about swearing "Its those bloody freaks. They are turning against us Pet. We should not have trusted them. If we cannot take our things let us leave them and deal with that later. Get in the car Pet."

Harry heard them drive off and walked around the house drawing more runes. Each rune he drew would place them in the state they kept him. They would be as hungry as he was in their care, they would feel the pain they caused him they would suffer in the exact same way.

Vernon, Petunia and Dudley were getting out their car looking at their new house. It was a beautiful manor in London. Petunia looked at her husband and said "It's probably a good thing we left the old furniture behind dear. It would not fit in here. Just look at this place Vernon. It's the house I have always dreamed of having. Oh I am so happy and we didn't have to bring that freak of a boy. He cannot taint this house like he did the other one. Even Lily's house was not this nice."

Vernon kissed his wife and said "I am glad you like it Pet. Let's go inside and see what our new home looks like."

They walked toward the door before their surroundings changed and they found themselves back in Privet drive facing a strange boy extremely beautiful Petunia felt a pang of jealousy, with long blonde hair and purple eyes. He looked to be around their son and nephew's age. Vernon shouted as soon as he saw him "Who are you and what did you do? You are one of those freaks aren't you!"

Harry smirked evilly making the Dursleys fear for the,selves and said "Why uncle Vernon, I'm hurt you don't recognise me. After all you and your family have been using me for a punching bag and personal slave. You just sold me to Lucius Malfoy a death eater didn't you? Unfortunately I didn't quite agree with the new owners so I left."

Vernon blustered out "How did you get away boy? They told me you couldn't get away and why do you look different? You are using your freakishness aren't you? Wait till I tell then you escaped boy. You will wish you had stayed put."

Harry sent a mild blasting curse at Vernon breaking his arm and said "Go ahead Vernon, make my day. i am not the weak child i was that you attempted to raise. I am going to show you just how worthless you are."

He ignored Vernon's screaming and turned to Petunia who was speaking even as she checked over her husband and Dudley cried in a corner.

Petunia looked like she swallowed a lemon as she said "Harry?"

Harry's smirk grew and said "Yes aunt Petunia. It's me. I came back to repay you for you kind hospitality. You know putting a roof over my head, food in my belly and clothes on my back. I am ever so thankful for everything you did for me I just had to bring you back and thank you personally."

"What are you talking about boy?" Vernon' voice betrayed the fear he was feeling especially as Harry's smirk turned into an unnerving smile.

"Oh uncle Vernon did it never occur to you that I would one day wish to repay you in kind?" Harry waved his hand and watched as his relatives' clothes turned into rags and he shrunk their bodies to the size of a five year old. The year they began making him do chores then he said "The house needs cleaning Vernon. Harry produced a list exactly the same as he was given at that age. It had so many chores it would be impossible even for an adult to finish them in the time he was allocated. "They need to be done before dinner or you get none."

He stuffed Petunia on the cupboard under the stairs ignoring her screeching and swearing. He had not been sure what he would do with Dudley but decided it wasn't really the boy's fault. He was never taught the difference between right and wrong and taught that it was normal to treat Harry the way he did. So he rearranged his memories adding lessons on morality in his earliest memories.

The result was a broken Dudley on his hands and knees crying and asking for forgiveness over and over. Harry didn't actually hate Dudley. He was a product of his environment. He felt sorry for him but not that much. The boy did kill him twice. He decided he would leave him as he was and if he changed for the better then all the better for him. Otherwise he was not his problem.

He noticed Vernon was not doing as he was told and he smiled. It was not a nice smile. He had been hoping for this. Before the end of the day he was going to put the fear of god in the fat ass.

Harry stayed at a Privet drive working both Vernon and Petunia throughout the day, feeding them a few times a week on mouldy bread and if they were lucky half a cup of water. Vernon was now just as thin as a Petunia and both were covered in scars from the punishments they went through for not completing their chores. Harry didn't actually physically do it himself. Despite wanting the revenge he couldn't physically harm them himself. He couldn't see Derek watching over him with a proud look for going back and avenging his death.

The runes he drew echoed the punishments from what they did to him. Every beating, every cut with whatever object they had at hand, every pan he was hit with. He even emulated Marge's visits with them ending up running up a tree to get away from the dog. Harry just watched and laughed as they had done.

Petunia scrubbed the kitchen floor, the tiny hands she now had feeling too weak to be as effective as she needed to be. It didn't help that she was shaking from hunger and pain from her injuries she sustained from her last punishment. She had learned to be quiet when she was punished It only got worse when she screamed. It crossed her mind that she had put a child through what she was going through now. She remembered not caring when he begged and pleaded with her.

Even now as she begged for forgiveness he told her the same thing she told him. "Shut up freak. You don't deserve any mercy. You are already getting what you deserve. get your ass up and cook my dinner you lazy shit." He never did eat anything she cooked. So she stopped trying to poison him, he just vanished it with magic calling it crap as if he knew what she was up to.

She remembered she would accompany that little speech with a smack that would throw him back away from her. Even as she thought about it she tried to think about when she had become such a monster. Yes she had been jealous of her sister but was it so bad she turned a blind eye to her nephew's suffering even when she was sure Vernon would kill him if he didn't stop.

She remembered feeling satisfaction at seeing those green eyes clouded in pain. Pain she was feeling now. It had been three months now and she was unsure of how much longer she could go on. Her body spasmed in hunger. She had not eaten for nearly four days and before that she had been given two slices of mouldy bread which she and Vernon had fought over. She knew something was keeping her alive otherwise she would have died by now under normal circumstances especially as she tried to kill herself several times and failed.

Her hands still bore the wounds where she slit her wrists. She didn't try it again knowing she would not cause herself more pain than she was already in. It was clear magic was keeping her alive and also from going insane. Harry wanted her to feel everything she put him through. For the first time ever since her nephew came through her door she felt regret for what she did more than she thought possible. You would have to be a monster to make another human being endure this and even more so an innocent child.

As for Vernon having been shown his worth, he spent more time with tears running down his face feeling sorry for himself wishing he had not agreed to sell his nephew. He had a choice at the time. He was told the wards that were created and powered by having Harry there meant none of the freaks could enter unless he allowed it and he had thinking he would get more out of that deal for the boy than refusal. He was wrong and he wished he could take it back. Vernon's punishments were worse than Petunia's and the runes ensured he didn't pass out in pain forcing him to endure working and walking on broken bones, lashes on his back and punches on the rest of him. He even had freak carved on his back. Harry had stood there watching as the magic carved the word in Vernon's back the same way he did to him and when it began to heal the magic did it again and again every time it began to scab over. Just like he did to Harry. Harry remembered how much it hurt. and felt satisfaction in his gut at the sight. He wondered if he was becoming a sadist. Did this make him cruel that he was enjoying his relative''s suffering?